Internal and External Forces
Wal-Mart was founded in 1962 with the first store in Rogers, Arkansas. They were incorporated in 1969, and began trading on the New York Stock Exchange in 1972. The purpose was to allow people to save money, buy quality products allowing their customers to live better. Today, they are one of the most successful retailers in the world serving over 176 million customers a year and employing more than 2 million associates. “In his autobiography, Sam said, the secret was giving your customers what they want” (Walton S. , n.d.).
Organizational Mission
“An organizational mission is an organization’s reason for existence, it reflect the values and beliefs of the managers in an organization” (McMillan, n.d.). Sam Walton the founder of Wal-Mart said it best, “If we work together, we’ll lower the cost of living for everyone…we’ll give the world an opportunity to see what it’s like to save and have a better life” (Walton, n.d.). The culture at Wal-Mart is an open door policy ensuring that associates can come to management at any time without the worry of repercussions from what they say. They also take pride in supporting causes such as education and natural resources. When hurricane Katrina decimated they reached out to offer help in relief efforts. They donated $20 million in cash donations, 1,500 truckloads of free merchandise, food for 100,000 meals and the promise of a job for every one of its displaced workers (Barbaro, 2005). Wal-Mart went above-and-beyond their mission to make lives better in the face of what was one of the largest if not the largest natural disaster ever seen in the United States.

Competition
Wal-Mart Corporation is seeking to drive out competition with the implementation of their "Project Impact" by stages of massive store strategy remodeling, cleaner, less cluttered stores with emphasis on...